Leaf Trading Cards sues Andrew Luck

In three days, Andrew Luck likely will become the first overall pick in the draft. His big week began with an off-field “welcome to the NFL” moment.

Luck has been sued.

Actually, Luck was sued on Friday, by Leaf Tradings Cards. The company seeks a judicial declaration that it has the ability to produce and sell trading cards taking during the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

The lawsuit came after Luck’s lawyers demanded that Leaf quit selling the cards, arguing that they infringe on Luck’s publicity rights. In other words, Luck likely would have eventually sued Leaf, but Leaf sued first.

“Leaf Trading Cards is disappointed that it was forced to submit this matter to the judicial system,” lawyer O. Luke Davis, III said in a press release. “We are confident, however, that the court will find that Leaf has the right to produce and sell the Andrew Luck trading cards.”

It’s unclear how the litigation will be resolved. But at least we now know that Leaf Trading Cards still exists.

Seriously? Not a single serious comment about how a “Company” can use an image of a person with out his/her consent? I believe there was another case involving Eric Wheddle where a company had to eventually block out every logo and maybe number but I could still tell it was him. If this is ok I’m just going to break out the long lens and start scanning South Beach from a hotel room. I can’t get in trouble from that can I? No body even knows those people.

Seriously? Not a single serious comment about how a “Company” can use an image of a person with out his/her consent? I believe there was another case involving Eric Wheddle where a company had to eventually block out every logo and maybe number but I could still tell it was him. If this is ok I’m just going to break out the long lens and start scanning South Beach from a hotel room. I can’t get in trouble from that can I? No body even knows those people.

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The company claims otherwise. They claim they have rights to use all in game photos of current and former players via people who runs the game.

My guess the issue is that since company didn’t start producing cards of anyone until 2009 and Luck and his people are arguing that any “media release” they signed at the time he was lead to believe was merely for promotional pictures and that sort but not for trading cards.

Weddle’s case is vastly different. Utah claims to have never even given permission assuming they have the right to his photos from college days. Alka seltzer went out of their way to alter the image. removed logos, darken the visor.

from photos of the card, the trading company seems have just used in game photo of Andrew.

Dude was in a high school all-star game 4 years ago, surely the fine print had him selling off his picture to some dufus trading card company. With so much coming to him now, he can’t let them make their $10 bucks off him?

Only guys that are gay care what other guys look like. You and the male Pats fans constantly dwell on the looks of great players like Manning and Luck. The rest of us only care how they perform on the football field.

Now I’m not a big Andrew Luck fan but Leaf trading cards you disgust me with waiting 4 years to try to get my from a player that hasn’t even gotten drafted yet. I mean you didn’t even allow the ink to dry let alone be put to paper before suing over something that you’ll probably be getting counter sued over.

btw, I don’t mean the company is owned by Ryan Leaf. Just that it’s ‘superstitious’ that a name like “Leaf” now got associated with Andrew Luck on the eve of the draft. A bad omen or it’s absolutely nothing.

This is a slam dunk for Leaf:
1: Andrew Luck signed his publicity rights over to the Army All-American game when he played in the game. He was of legal age at the time he signed the rights away.
2: Leaf bought the image rights from the Army All-American game.
3: Andrew Luck picked a stupid and clueless agent WMG that knows nothing about how the FB trading card market works.
4: Hopefully 2013 and beyond NFL prospects look at this case and say I don’t won’t to be sued and want to be represented by a competent agent and choose to stay away from the clowns at WMG.